Sept. 15, 2026

Holding My Breath Memoir: Two Testaments of Cancer Healing, Music & Brotherhood w/ Chuck Billy

Show Notes
Transcript

In this episode of The Adventures of Pipeman on W4CY Radio, Pipeman sits down with Chuck Billy, legendary frontman of Testament and recently published author, to discuss his memoir "Holding My Breath." The conversation explores Chuck’s personal journey through life, music, health challenges, and spiritual growth, with stories from childhood, his battle with cancer, and reflections on decades of music and brotherhood.Main Topics Covered

Origins and creation of Chuck Billy's memoir, "Holding My Breath"
Themes of resilience, persistence, and spirituality
Chuck Billy’s cancer journey and Native American healing
The evolution and longevity of Testament as a band
Writing a memoir versus a band biography
Collaborating with co-author Dave Erickson
The importance of authenticity in telling life stories
Influence on and support from the Native community
Changes in songwriting themes from Testament’s early days to now
Advice for others facing serious illness

Key Discussions & StoriesWriting the Memoir

Chuck Billy shares the initial reluctance, the external push, and eventual therapeutic nature of documenting his life (01:26).
Explains the play on words in the memoir’s title and how the book is divided into Old and New "Testaments" as metaphors for his life phases (01:04).
Emphasizes a desire for the memoir to focus on personal history, not just the band, sharing what shaped him before stardom (04:14).

Overcoming and Lessons from Cancer

Details his emotional reaction to the diagnosis, the shift to a fighting mindset, and blending traditional treatment with Native American healing (06:49).
Spiritual transformation resulting from his cancer journey, leading to a deeper connection with himself and those around him (07:55).
Importance of positivity, mental strength, family support, and seeking meaning in adversity (25:41).

Testament’s Endurance and Band Brotherhood

Reflects on the band’s beginnings, lineup changes, and the crucial benefit show that brought original members back together (10:21, 16:01).
Reiterates how mending personal relationships was foundational to continuing making music together (15:14).
Shares perspectives on staying motivated and inspired to write and perform over the decades (14:38).

Co-Writing with Dave Erickson

Chuck Billy discusses selecting Dave Erickson, the challenges in capturing his voice, and the process of collaboration (18:27).
The importance of the audiobook and ensuring authenticity when retelling his stories (20:37).

Life After Hardships

Chuck Billy and Pipeman share personal stories of surviving serious health scares and the renewed outlook on living life to the fullest (08:15, 10:38).
Admits feeling less fear about the future, focusing instead on enjoying each day and continuing to embrace new experiences (22:29).

Notable Quotes

"It's not a story to be told, but a story to be documented, especially during the time of my cancer..." — Chuck Billy (02:05)
"I've always been that guy, not giving up in the way my father raised us. Even getting sick and facing it, didn't give up—held my breath one more time and made it through." — Chuck Billy (03:12)
"You don't think that, but I think when you start, like anybody, you're gonna see it to the end... here we are, just on the other end of it all." — Chuck Billy on the longevity of Testament (05:09)
"I came out of it more of a spiritual guy now, I'd have to say... just something very heavy and trippy to go through, but here I am and I have a story to tell." — Chuck Billy (08:04)
"You have to have a strong will, strong mind, and be positive, and use the power of that mind." — Chuck Billy on advice for cancer survivors (26:14)
"I didn't just straight read [the audiobook] ... I went off a little bit on a side note and told a little depth story or made it fun." — Chuck Billy (20:48)

Resources & Links Mentioned

"Holding My Breath" Memoir
- Official site & preorders: chuckbillybook.com (27:00)
- Amazon: available for preorder (27:08)
- Premiere Collectibles: Limited edition signed copies and bundles (27:11)
Audiobook
- Narrated by Chuck Billy, includes stories beyond the main memoir (20:37)

Additional Highlights

Rob Halford wrote the foreword and Randy Blythe wrote the afterword for "Holding My Breath," both offering insight into Chuck Billy’s impact (16:49).
Chuck Billy honored by the California State Assembly for his contributions to Native communities (24:09).
Reflections on songwriting: From fantasy-based lyrics in early years to more socially relevant themes in recent Testament records (24:55).
Chuck Billy expresses appreciation to fans for their enduring support and looks forward to connecting further through the memoir (27:38).

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This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures of

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Pipe Man W4CY radio, and I'm really excited about our

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next guest.

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Not only because he has.

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Badass music, but I'm also a published author, but he's

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got a better book than me and we need to

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talk about it.

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So let's welcome to the show. Chuck Billy. How are you?

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I'm good. Thanks for having me fight math.

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Oh, my pleasure.

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And listen, I got to tell you of all the

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books out there from music people, man, this one is

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really cool. Uh, holding my breath. I was holding my

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breath for this book, you know, um, And I love

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how you did like the play on words. It's got

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the Old Testament. It's got the New Testament. And I

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definitely understand after checking it out, you know, where it's

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all coming from and a lot more of what you're about.

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And I dig it.

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So tell me a little bit about the background that

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led to this memoir.

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Well, it definitely originally wasn't my idea.

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I was approached a while back, and I just kind

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of put it aside, you know, never thought about it.

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And then approached again. And at that time.

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I thought, well, maybe I have a little time on

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my hands, a window open, finish the records done, you know, so, yeah,

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maybe I got some time. And, you know, talking about

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it with my literary agent.

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And, you know, who's going to write it with me,

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it made sense. And I think it was time.

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Cause I think everybody asks why, why is the time now?

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You know, I don't know that maybe a little bit

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plays on the age, but I thought after talking about it,

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it was actually something that's not a story to be told,

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but it's actually a story to be documented.

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Especially during the time of my cancer.

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When a lot of bands got kind of rebirth, you know,

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through a benefit show, even in Testament, you know, for

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that matter. So it kind of, you know, talking through

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the book, it was very therapeutic. I'll tell you that,

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you know, it's hard to talk about yourself, you know,

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when you go back and where do you start? And

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for me thinking about where I'm at now in life

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and maybe people don't know is who's that guy holding

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his breath, kind of the metaphor of kind of getting

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my way and, and, you know, and people to read

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the book to find out, you know, at eight months old,

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I'm holding my breath. I'm turning purple and passing out

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because I wanted something. I was getting a reaction at

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that age. What could it have been? Some more milk?

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I don't know. At eight months, I had something there.

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I think that's what played into the book. Looking through life,

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I've always been that guy. Not giving up in the

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way my father raised us and And especially getting sick

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and facing it how I did with the way I

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was being raised and didn't, you know, didn't give up,

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you know, held my breath one more time through that

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and made it through that.

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Even though I thought 38 was my, my time, you know.

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I got through that battle with all the native healings,

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you know, through there.

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And I love that too. I, it's so funny what

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you said too, because I have a brother that's like

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11 years older than me. And, I wouldn't eat when

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I was a baby. So he told me, like, my

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mother and him used to, like, hold my breath till

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I swallowed my food. I would just hold it in

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my mouth like a chipmunk and not swallow. And they

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would do that to get me to swallow my food.

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So I thought it was funny when you said that.

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There you go.

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Right?

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So that's kind of trying to figure out when you're right.

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memoir because I definitely didn't want to make it a

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testament book you know um and what I like about

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when I read other people's autobiographies or memoirs I like

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reading about who the people are before they're celebrity or

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anything like that you know and so I thought I

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never really talked about that so that was a good

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time to really dive in to go back and and

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document that, you know, as well. So it was cool.

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You know, now that I've done it, I'm like, okay,

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now I've got to do a Testament book, you know,

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get all these original guys and all the revolving window

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members that were in this band.

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I think that would be some stories.

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Well, even back in the eighties, did you ever think

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that in 2026, you'd still be going like this with Testament?

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Um, you don't think that, but I think when you

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start like anybody, you're going to see it to the end.

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And I think I've just been a fortunate guy to

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have an opportunity, you know, to connect with the original guys,

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Alex and Louie and Greg, and then continue on writing

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music with.

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Alex and, you know, and.

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Here we are, you know, just on the other end

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of it all going, wow, there is two sides of

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the Testament life, but also my life, you know, is

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the way that crossroad where cancer and the gathering record

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and that benefit show, we're all kind of right there

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at that crossroad.

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Yeah, totally.

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It is like having two different lives for sure. And,

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you know, I love some of the stuff you said

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about positivity because I'm also a motivational speaker.

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It's kind of funny, too.

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There's times when I do seminars and I have my

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metal clothes under my suit, and I go do a seminar,

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and I'm like Superman because I have to go to

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a festival after that or something, and I take them

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off and have my metal clothes on.

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But people don't.

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Realize that metal is great therapy, especially the extreme metal.

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We are a bunch of very persistent people. But we're

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a very persistent bunch. And that's why my mantra is

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persist until you succeed, you know? And, you know, my

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hat's off to you for going through that cancer journey

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and coming out the other.

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Side for sure.

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Do you want to tell the listeners a little bit

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about what that was like flashing back to when that happened?

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Well, I mean, it's something you never want to hear.

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I mean, of course, but.

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Just personally, You know, I explain in the book just

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how it broke me down real quick, but I actually

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just kind of picked back up really quick. And again,

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held my breath and faced it, not giving up, and

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went out with a whole different mindset. And then, you know,

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deciding through mid-chemotherapy that, you know, this tumor is too large.

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Maybe there's some other way to get this tumor to

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shrink and some other alternatives. And that's when I decided to,

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you know, go the Native American route and then, you know,

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having a guy like Charlie, the first healer to show

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up at my house unannounced, you know, still to this day,

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doesn't know how he got my address, but there.

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He was, did the ceremony.

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And he was probably the most significant ceremony I did

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because he told me how it was going to play out. And,

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you know, and then the book, I kind of explained

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how I shit out the cancer at one point, but

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you know, it's, uh, it was a heavy experience. Um,

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I'd say, you know, before I probably was raised a

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religious guy. But going through all that, it came out

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of it more of a spiritual guy. Now I'd have

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to say, you know, it was just something very heavy

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and trippy to go through, but here I am.

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And I have a story to tell, I guess, you know.

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Yeah.

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And a story to tell that can help a lot

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of other people. I think that's why you're still here.

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To give people that hope and positivity, no matter, because

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we all go through crap in our life, you know,

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and I think mental state of mind makes a big difference.

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And yes, like you, I'm more about, you know, I

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used to be more religious and I'm definitely more spiritual now.

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I always had some spiritual side, but now it's like,

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there's just some things that can't be explained. And And

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then I'm also very into the natural health, which that's

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where I dig the part about the Native American thing,

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because that is all about that natural health.

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And it can make a difference.

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I mean, I was somebody that at age 51, I

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had a heart attack. At age 52, I had another

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heart attack, both of them from surfing. Not from surfing,

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but during surf, while I was surfing. Second one, you know,

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I was on a 10-foot wave in Costa Rica and

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had a massive heart attack. People asked me, well, how'd

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you get back to shore? Like, it was either that

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or drown, you know? I don't even know if I

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can remember.

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How I did. I just know I paddled back to shore,

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you know?

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Just did.

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Exactly.

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And I'm not a big believer in big pharma. You know,

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I reversed diabetes with just food in like six months.

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And even with the heart thing, here we are. I'm

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59 now. And I was just in a Slayer pit

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at Rock, Oklahoma. So, like, listen, I still go into

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a mosh pit.

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I still surf. I still skate.

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I still play hockey and stuff and i have more

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energy than most people and a lot of people when

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they go through things like you did and i did

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sometimes they like give up and they they think they

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can't live a certain way anymore And here you are to.

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Me like you're living life, you know, exactly, you know,

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and you have to. And for me, you know, the,

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you know, taken for granted what I do. And, you know,

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a lot of friends and family are like, oh, you're

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so lucky you get to go to or see the world.

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You're so lucky. Like, you don't you don't know the

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half of it. I see the bus. I see the

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dressing room. the venue i don't you know especially those

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younger years because it was a lot of all my

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drinking and sleeping most of the day and you know

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it's doing it every single night and so coming out

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of it and going wow i get a second opportunity

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at this i'm gonna you know i started like venturing

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out during the day i'm gonna go to town and

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have lunch you know and See what's around. And started

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just seeing kind of things and seeing it a whole

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different way. Started, like, actually inviting my friends, childhood friends

205
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that have never, like, seen Europe. You know, taking them

206
00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:15.019
on an adventure. You know, go hang out with them

207
00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:20.039
all day. And see it all in a different point

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00:11:20.110 --> 00:11:23.169
of view now. And so, at first, that's kind of

209
00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:25.649
what it was. Telling my agent, book us anywhere we've

210
00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:26.450
never been.

211
00:11:27.029 --> 00:11:30.279
Some weird places. You know, went to Kathmandu and some.

212
00:11:30.230 --> 00:11:33.190
Odd places to play, and it's like, you know, that's

213
00:11:33.210 --> 00:11:36.129
somebody that has never seen you as a band for

214
00:11:36.129 --> 00:11:38.509
35 plus years, you know, and it's like, they finally

215
00:11:38.549 --> 00:11:39.990
get to see a band, so.

216
00:11:40.429 --> 00:11:43.090
Those cool things after has been very good.

217
00:11:44.230 --> 00:11:47.269
Yeah, I mean, that's rad, and like, you get this thing, like,

218
00:11:47.309 --> 00:11:51.889
I saw where you said, basically, you know, you were

219
00:11:51.929 --> 00:11:54.970
this guy that thought he was invincible, we all think that,

220
00:11:54.990 --> 00:11:57.289
and that was the same thing, too, for me, like,

221
00:11:57.620 --> 00:12:01.480
I was invincible at 51 years old when that happened.

222
00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:06.299
And then that happens and you're like scratching your head. Well,

223
00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:09.620
maybe I'm not invincible. But one thing I've always done

224
00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:12.889
and do even more now, to your point, is live

225
00:12:12.929 --> 00:12:13.929
life to the fullest.

226
00:12:14.049 --> 00:12:14.669
And you're right.

227
00:12:15.090 --> 00:12:17.330
Like people look at you, they're like, oh, you're living

228
00:12:17.370 --> 00:12:20.830
a dream life. They have no clue that maybe that

229
00:12:21.529 --> 00:12:24.740
hour set, two hour set, is the fun part of

230
00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.940
the day and the rest of it, maybe not so much,

231
00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:31.960
you know, and all you have to go through, you know,

232
00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:36.460
and do to do what you do. And it's even

233
00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:40.730
funny when I go do festivals, like what my youngest daughter,

234
00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.879
she'll go with me and she'll, and she'll be like

235
00:12:44.210 --> 00:12:45.350
halfway through the first day.

236
00:12:45.370 --> 00:12:46.049
She's like, dad, I.

237
00:12:46.029 --> 00:12:47.789
Don't know how you do this every weekend.

238
00:12:47.929 --> 00:12:53.190
I'm done already. You know, And she doesn't even see

239
00:12:53.210 --> 00:12:54.429
the hard part, you know?

240
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And like, and so, and an artist like you and

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in the type of music you play, Hey, my hat's

242
00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:05.419
off to you going through that cancer thing. And still,

243
00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:10.580
I think just as good, if not better than when

244
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you were young.

245
00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:13.740
Well, that's, I think that's the thing too.

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00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:18.399
The story is that we've been fortunate to start making music, but,

247
00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:22.200
And I think coming out of the cancer, working back

248
00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:25.460
on tour with the original guys first, before we made

249
00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:29.480
the formation record in 08, was that we found out

250
00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:33.730
that we can get along, hang out, tour together, before

251
00:13:33.769 --> 00:13:37.049
we ever thought about trying to make music. And that

252
00:13:37.090 --> 00:13:40.370
was the fun part about it. We really didn't care

253
00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:43.470
about what else was going on. We were just enjoying it.

254
00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:48.000
the moment that we're together again, it's like, whoa, look, wow.

255
00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:52.039
We're all the back together, like finishing something together that

256
00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:56.559
we started. Holy shit. So that is, was kind of cool.

257
00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:59.419
And we let that ride for three years before we said, Hey,

258
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let's write a record, you know?

259
00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:03.389
And everybody was like, okay, let's go for it.

260
00:14:03.590 --> 00:14:06.809
And that's kind of, and I, I'd have to say

261
00:14:06.889 --> 00:14:10.509
selfishly writing those records, uh, we wrote it for ourself

262
00:14:10.590 --> 00:14:12.429
because we're writing them going, Oh, that's cool.

263
00:14:12.470 --> 00:14:14.669
That's groovy. Maybe that's not so metal, but, or.

264
00:14:14.649 --> 00:14:19.169
Whatever, but it made Testament moving forward, have a kind

265
00:14:19.190 --> 00:14:21.509
of our own identity, just kind of sticking to what

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00:14:22.909 --> 00:14:26.870
we like to do and write, enjoy playing. And I

267
00:14:26.909 --> 00:14:28.789
think that's kind of what grew on all the records.

268
00:14:28.830 --> 00:14:31.230
We kind of had that same mindset. And so all

269
00:14:31.250 --> 00:14:34.730
the records are really set apart from each other because

270
00:14:34.769 --> 00:14:37.029
it's a different part of life, writing these songs and

271
00:14:37.049 --> 00:14:38.610
going on.

272
00:14:38.529 --> 00:14:39.009
In the world.

273
00:14:39.110 --> 00:14:42.879
So, You know, all the records and songs are so much,

274
00:14:42.889 --> 00:14:45.139
and they all stand on their own with their own identity.

275
00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:49.240
Yeah, and I'll tell you, too, that was really smart,

276
00:14:49.299 --> 00:14:52.620
you know, because I think it's so important that if

277
00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:54.919
you're going to do anything with anybody, I don't care,

278
00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:59.149
music or anything, you got to like each other, you know,

279
00:14:59.230 --> 00:15:01.509
and you got to have fun together.

280
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Otherwise, it gets bad.

281
00:15:03.509 --> 00:15:08.629
So the fact that you recognize that, and reformed the

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00:15:08.690 --> 00:15:13.690
brotherhood before the music, that is the reason you're still

283
00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:14.210
around now.

284
00:15:14.929 --> 00:15:18.149
And we knew kind of why we pushed each other apart.

285
00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:22.120
I mean, when we were younger, I mean, shit, we

286
00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:23.100
didn't have a break.

287
00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:26.059
I know Alex was very young, and the first four

288
00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:29.720
years of the band, we wrote four records, four massive

289
00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.759
world tours, and just wrote and worked and wrote and

290
00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:35.360
worked and wrote and... it didn't stop. So I think,

291
00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:37.360
you know, war on Alex pretty quick. So when the

292
00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:41.460
breakup happened, it's not like we hate each other. It's just,

293
00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:46.110
it just, I guess it just got worn out. And, um,

294
00:15:46.690 --> 00:15:49.610
it was nice to get back and for Alex to

295
00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:53.210
have a break like he needed, find his way back,

296
00:15:53.350 --> 00:15:57.149
you know, get a break and, and, And so, yeah,

297
00:15:57.169 --> 00:15:58.909
it's just the things, the path that we had to

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00:15:58.950 --> 00:15:59.629
go to get there.

299
00:15:59.990 --> 00:16:01.029
You know, that's the way I see it.

300
00:16:01.029 --> 00:16:04.659
Because, honestly, if we didn't have that benefit show, I

301
00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:06.840
don't think Alex, Greg, and Louie.

302
00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:10.159
Would ever, we ever would have performed with them. There

303
00:16:10.179 --> 00:16:12.639
would have been no records of those guys if that

304
00:16:12.659 --> 00:16:15.179
didn't happen. Wow. Period. You know?

305
00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:19.850
See, those are the cool stories right there.

306
00:16:20.090 --> 00:16:25.730
And that, again, persistence and, you know, doing that and, like,

307
00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:29.720
So now I also have to say, okay, you had

308
00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:36.820
Rob Halford do the forward, which that, that says a lot,

309
00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:40.850
a lot. And then Randy doing the afterward. And I

310
00:16:40.870 --> 00:16:44.269
was reading all that Randy wrote. And it was like, wow,

311
00:16:45.250 --> 00:16:48.070
that tells me everything I need to know about Chuck

312
00:16:48.090 --> 00:16:49.029
Billy right there.

313
00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:50.429
Both of them.

314
00:16:50.690 --> 00:16:56.059
I mean, you know, I got Rob's first and, you know, definitely,

315
00:16:56.580 --> 00:16:59.559
you know, the first read-through brought you to tears. Me

316
00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:01.799
and my wife were like, oh my God, he's such

317
00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:03.480
a magician with words.

318
00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:07.160
It just, man, it was strong.

319
00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:11.190
And then Randy's came in, you know, and I was like,

320
00:17:11.230 --> 00:17:14.309
holy shit, just the two people and the two sides

321
00:17:14.369 --> 00:17:18.069
of my story and my life, you know, play at

322
00:17:18.089 --> 00:17:20.190
the part of it. And the words from him are

323
00:17:20.230 --> 00:17:22.630
very powerful and very Deep.

324
00:17:23.970 --> 00:17:26.750
And I know, I don't think there's one, and this

325
00:17:26.809 --> 00:17:29.730
is so rare, I don't think there's one person I've

326
00:17:29.829 --> 00:17:32.519
ever met in metal that could say anything bad about

327
00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:33.119
Chuck Billy.

328
00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:34.720
I hope not.

329
00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:38.720
Yeah, no. I've never heard any.

330
00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:44.230
No, and I'm proud to say, probably not. Maybe a

331
00:17:44.289 --> 00:17:47.690
couple of my, you know, 30 years ago, drunken.

332
00:17:48.809 --> 00:17:50.029
days on stage. Yeah.

333
00:17:50.049 --> 00:17:52.839
There's probably a chance that a monitor guy or two

334
00:17:52.859 --> 00:17:55.960
didn't have a good night, you know, right.

335
00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:57.740
Those are those stories.

336
00:17:58.880 --> 00:17:59.500
Exactly.

337
00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:03.400
Those were the crazy days anyway. So like, I don't

338
00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.059
think we can hold that against you. Cause we all

339
00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:11.220
did stupid shit back then. It's like, I always say, man,

340
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:14.059
thank God there was no social media or proof of

341
00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:15.460
what I did in the eighties.

342
00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:19.690
Exactly. right? Yeah, that's it.

343
00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:24.980
So tell me about Dave Erickson and how that came

344
00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:26.960
about co-writing the book together.

345
00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:31.539
Well, first my agent gave me a bunch of writers

346
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:36.440
actually to read through and read their history and what

347
00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:42.799
they've done. And Dave was a metal fan, like Testament.

348
00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.869
So I liked his writing, so I first started talking

349
00:18:46.910 --> 00:18:48.569
to him and just talking to him on the phone,

350
00:18:48.670 --> 00:18:51.990
first of all. You know, we had a vibe, you know,

351
00:18:52.549 --> 00:18:56.579
and just talked for a few hours and decided, okay, well,

352
00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:58.700
I'll get back to you and decided I'm going.

353
00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:00.000
To go move forward.

354
00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:05.019
And, you know, any tough thing when you're working someone

355
00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:08.960
to write with you is he doesn't know how I

356
00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:14.500
speak or, you know, my cadence, everything. So, that's what

357
00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:16.480
took a little time for him to get, you know,

358
00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:19.880
after he wrote a couple of first drafts was like, uh,

359
00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:22.680
I kind of don't speak like that or, you know,

360
00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:25.140
I wouldn't use that word or.

361
00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:26.559
You know, just some things like that.

362
00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:29.880
So we would have to like talk and say, you know,

363
00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.369
you really need to keep it to my stories and

364
00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:37.309
the way I talk. And, and I think after, cause

365
00:19:37.329 --> 00:19:39.170
it was like three, four days a week, you know,

366
00:19:39.190 --> 00:19:44.640
a couple hours a week, He knew me pretty quick.

367
00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:45.359
Nice.

368
00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:48.950
So we got that done pretty quick, and it was

369
00:19:48.990 --> 00:19:53.660
just a matter of telling stories him creating the chapters

370
00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:55.480
and then us kind of just putting it all together

371
00:19:55.500 --> 00:19:58.400
and I think that's where we kind of found the

372
00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:03.369
two testaments of myself because originally we didn't have that

373
00:20:03.450 --> 00:20:05.369
title we didn't have the title we were just kind

374
00:20:05.430 --> 00:20:07.630
of like where do we start let's start at the

375
00:20:07.650 --> 00:20:10.650
beginning I guess And it just developed.

376
00:20:13.150 --> 00:20:16.910
And that is so cool because it is important that

377
00:20:16.950 --> 00:20:20.599
somebody know you and like you're saying, how you speak

378
00:20:20.690 --> 00:20:23.220
and how you would say things. Because otherwise people would

379
00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:26.220
read the book and they might go, well, that doesn't

380
00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:30.200
sound like Chuck Billy. So it has to be true

381
00:20:30.299 --> 00:20:32.920
to you. And the fact that he picked that up

382
00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:36.059
so quickly, that shows that it was a perfect match.

383
00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:40.460
Yeah, and I did the audio book. So when I

384
00:20:40.509 --> 00:20:44.789
read through to do the audio book, he nailed it.

385
00:20:45.890 --> 00:20:46.710
So it was good.

386
00:20:47.130 --> 00:20:50.420
It felt right. And I didn't just straight read it.

387
00:20:51.009 --> 00:20:54.069
I pretty much knew the story. So I kind of

388
00:20:54.670 --> 00:20:56.690
read but kind of went off a little bit and

389
00:20:58.650 --> 00:21:00.509
went off a little bit on the side note and

390
00:21:00.990 --> 00:21:03.269
told a little depth story.

391
00:21:03.849 --> 00:21:05.859
I made it fun. I didn't want it to be

392
00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:07.740
just you listening to me read.

393
00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.609
You know, when I was talking about burning weed at

394
00:21:11.630 --> 00:21:13.509
the Kiss shows, you know, I think I smoked a

395
00:21:13.529 --> 00:21:16.869
joint or, you know, just fun shit like that, you know,

396
00:21:17.089 --> 00:21:19.390

Holding My Breath Memoir: Two Testaments of Cancer Healing, Music & Brotherhood w/ Chuck Billy

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